BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 30, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Beryl, the first hurricane of
the 2024 Atlantic season, strengthened into a "very dangerous" Category 3
storm Sunday morning as it threatened the southeast Caribbean with potential
life-threatening winds and storm surge, US forecasters said.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Beryl -- currently churning in
the Atlantic Ocean about 420 miles (675 kilometers) east of Barbados --
"continues to quickly strengthen this Sunday morning."

"The storm is now a very dangerous Category 3 hurricane," it said, warning
that the storm's eye is expected to move early on Monday across the Windward
Islands, a cluster of islands including Martinique, Saint Lucia and Grenada.

Beryl is "continuing to rapidly intensify," the NHC forecast said, indicating
the storm would strengthen even further to an "extremely dangerous Category 4
hurricane" by the time it hit those Caribbean communities.

Meanwhile in the Barbadian capital of Bridgetown, cars were seen lined up at
gas stations, while supermarkets and grocery stores were crowded with
shoppers buying food, water and other supplies. Some households were already
boarding up their properties.

Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago
were all under hurricane warnings, while tropical storm warnings or watches
were in effect for Martinique and Dominica, the NHC said in its latest
advisory.

- Devastating wind damage -

A Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale is considered a major
hurricane, and a Category 4 storm packs sustained winds of at least 130 miles
per hour (209 kilometers per hour).

Beryl was packing maximum sustained winds that had increased to near 115 mph,
the NHC said around 8:00 am (1200 GMT) Sunday, as it warned of "life-
threatening winds and storm surge" in the Windward Islands.

"Devastating wind damage is expected where the eyewall of Beryl moves through
portions" of the islands, the NHC said, indicating wind speeds in some
locations could be 30 percent stronger than those listed in their advisory.

Such a powerful storm forming this early in the Atlantic hurricane season --
which runs from early June to late November -- is extremely rare, experts
said.

"Only five major (Category 3+) hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic
before the first week of July. Beryl would be the sixth and earliest this far
east in the tropical Atlantic," hurricane expert Michael Lowry posted on
social media platform X.

"Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area beginning
early on Monday," the NHC said, warning of heavy rain, flooding and storm
surge that could raise water levels as much as nine feet (2.7 meters) above
normal.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in late May that
it expects this year to be an "extraordinary" hurricane season, with up to
seven storms of Category 3 or higher.

The agency cited warm Atlantic ocean temperatures and conditions related to
the weather phenomenon La Nina in the Pacific for the expected increase in
storms.

Extreme weather events including hurricanes have become more frequent and
more devastating in recent years as a result of climate change.